


Discovery Trip

by Emmaxolotl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Sabriel - Freeform, Smut, Tumblr: sabrielation, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2018-12-07 09:09:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11620437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmaxolotl/pseuds/Emmaxolotl
Summary: After Sam broke up with his girlfriend, Dean and Castiel decided to bring him with them to France, at Cas' brother house.





	1. Who knows

“Come with us dude, it’ll be nice !” Dean said once more, taking another sip of his beer.

The bar was full on this Friday night. Dean, Cas and Sam were having their weekly beers - shots for Cas. Sam’s holidays were about to start but he had no plans yet. Dean didn’t want his brother to be all alone here when him and Cas would be at Cas’s brother Gabriel in France. Cas had already asked Gabe and he didn’t mind having one more person in his house.

“I don’t want to ruin your french romantic trip, guys. And I’ll still have to work for next year” replied Sam once again. 

"C’mon Sam. What don’t you understand in the word ‘holidays’ ? You won’t bother us. In fact I would feel much better knowing you’re breathing some fresh air." Dean was pissed. Since his little brother broke up with his girlfriend -he would never forgive this Jess for that- he got used to locking himself in his room and spent all his time studying, hoping that it would make him forget about the world around him. Dean could see despair in Sam’s eyes, and it made him remember the look Sam had after their mother died. It was his big bro role to help him to get better.

"Sam, I insist," Cas started, leaving no time for Dean to argue with his brother. "You won’t interfere in any way with our plans. Gabriel doesn’t mind having you home and I’m pretty sure he will be glad to meet you." Sam still seemed to be sullen. Cas sighed. "At least if you don’t do it for yourself do it for me."

The two Winchesters seemed blindsided by the unexpected sentence.

"Dean won’t be able to get you out of his head and I definitely need him to be fully concentrated on me for what I’ve planned." Cas took another shot, grinning. He saw the look Sam gave him. He had won. And Dean was undressing him with his eyes. Double-win.

"Well… if you put it like that…" Sam surrendered. 

Dean asked two more beers and one more shot to celebrate their victory, giving a small squeeze on Cas’ tight as a ‘thank you’.

 

***

 

"Cas, I’m not feeling well" said Dean with despair as they got closer and closer to their plane. "I don’t think I can make it. I’ll take a boat, anything."

Cas kissed his forehead, giving him a small smile.

"Your medics will be effective soon, Dean. Sing some Metalica meanwhile."

Sam was doing the best he could to hold back his laughs. His brother in an airport had always been the best show ever. As he put his suitcase on the carrousel he saw that Cas was in the same state as himself, doing his best to help his boyfriend but yet wanting to laugh to how ridiculous the big boy sounded.

A few minutes later, the drugs had fully taken over Dean. It would have been even funnier if only he didn’t start flirting with every living things around, what didn’t please Cas. Sam and Castiel had had to bear Dean to his seat and lock him down to make sure he wouldn’t do anything stupid or dangerous.

The flight was long and exhausting, especially with a drugged-Dean. Luckily the food was good and Dean was between them, so he couldn’t run away. After hours of "no Dean, we can’t jump down to swim with the fish", "no Dean, a gang bang is not worth considering" and "Dean, if you do that I quit", the older Winchester fell asleep. 

"Since when does your brother live in France, Cas ?" asked Sam, totally unoccupied now.

"Well… Gabriel always loved France. He asked us every year to go on holidays there when he was younger and when we finally did we had to tear him off the ground when we eventually had to leave." Cas took a deep breath with nostalgia. "There had been an incident during his studies, a few years ago. He had got fired. That destroyed him. He decided to leave the next day and came to France to run his own business. It worked for him. But even if he gots all the ressources needed, he is lonely. Not very sociable." Cas sighed and looked at Sam upon Dean’s head. "He keeps claiming is happy but he isn’t. I’m confident he needs someone in his life. Someone to hold him. He’s never been very self-confident deep down."

Sam had never seen Cas this worried. He never really realized how much his brother meant to him, at least this one. He knew that Cas had more brothers but he never talked about them. 

They spent the rest of the flight quiet, laughing when Dean snored loudly.

 

***

 

"I’m still on drugs, right ?" asked Dean, his jaw falling down.

But he was clean. The big black car with a private driver was here for _them_. Cas didn't seem that surprised and he was the first one to give his suitcase to the driver and enter the car. Sam and Dean followed his lead a few seconds later. The driver remained silent, driving them to their destination.

"I am sorry my brother didn’t come in person. I hoped he would have," Cas apologized.

"Cas… You never told me your brother was _this_ rich." Dean answered, amazed by the leather on the seat, the bottles of soda and packs of candies hidden in some hidden boxes in the doors.

"In fact… He is not even as rich as our parents. This is almost cheap compared to what we’ve seen growing up. I assume this…", he pointed out the whole car, "is just a way for him to show that he could do it too. Our father never really believed that he would be able to go from rags to riches on his own."

"Wait wait wait… You told me your family was kind of rich but you never said THAT rich" said Dean, a bit dizzy after all this revelations. "What else didn’t you tell me ?"

Sam would have loved to make himself as small as possible, but instead he took some pop corns and started watching the he-didn’t-know-why kind of fight.

"It would have been irrelevant, Dean. Do you really imagine me coming to you to say ‘hey, you know what ? Remember my stupid family ? There’re fucking rich !’ " Cas started to get pissed - he usually never swore. Seeing -and hearing- it, Dean took his hand in a soothing squeeze.

"It’s ok Cas, it’s just that… I’m not used to it. You know I’m not comfortable when it comes to money."

"It’s ok Dean." Cas smiled and squeezed back. They stared at each other for some long minutes. "I know…" whispered Cas, leaning to press his forehead against Dean’s.

Sam looked at them and couldn’t decide if he was glad to see them this happy after months of hesitation -Dean afraid to be a mistake in Cas’ life and Cas having to manage with an homophobic family-, or if he was sad thinking that he might never find someone who’ll fit him that much. He really thought Jess would be the one for him, even planned to ask her hand, but then he found her in their bed with his -ex- best friend Brady. The vision of them both together had been the death of him. He didn’t even say anything, he just came to his brother’s flat and stayed there. He never heard from Jess or Brady again after that, but a few days later they started showing themselves all around the campus.

"Get out of your thoughts Sam, we’re there." Dean’s voice cut Sam out. He got out of the car and froze before the gigantic villa.

"Finally ! ‘Thought you’ll never come !"

A guy came to them. With the brightest smirk of all times and golden hair, he was one of the most beautiful guy Sam had seen in his life - wait, since when did he check people out ?

"Gabriel, I’m glad to see you" said Cas with a big smile, letting his brother hug him even though he wasn't the hugging-type. Cas turned to face Dean and Sam. "Dean, Sam, let me introduce you my brother Gabriel. Gabriel, here’s Dean my boyfriend and Sam his brother."

"Glad to meet you guys. I’ll show you your rooms, you three look like zombies." 

Sam made a face at the comment but followed the group. This was the biggest house -villa- he’d seen in his entire life. The entrance was as big as Dean et Cas’ flat. There were way too much shoes on the many shelves for one life and he was sure he’d never seen that much jackets in the same place before.

"The kitchen is on the left and the living room on the right" said Gabriel nonchalantly.

"He always dreamt of an open kitchen" whispered Cas to the Winchesters, smiling at his brother.

"Then in this corridor here you got my office on the left and at the end the gym."

"You got a gym ?" asked Sam, "in your own house ?"

Gabriel smirked. "It’s cleaner and I don’t have to deal with people I don’t care about."

Gabriel then took them upstairs and showed them their rooms. Dean and Cas had the first on the right and Sam the first on the left. The rooms were the same, with a king size bed, modern furniture and a bathroom with two sinks, a tub-jacuzzi and a shower.

"I asked the maid to make sure you’ll get everything you need, but if you still miss something I’ll be downstairs in my office." As fast as he finished his sentence, Gabriel ran in the stairs.

"Well… I guess we’d rather sleep" said Cas, heading to his room, taking Dean’s hand to pull him in too.

Sam went back in his room, closing the door. He had never slept in a room this big before. He unpacked his stuff. Dean and Cas had planned to stay here for two weeks, maybe more. Apparently Gabriel didn’t care about having them here. He was quite a brain-twister to Sam. The guy he just met seemed to be like Tony Stark, the rich playboy in his too big mansion and he’d been surprised that there were no party or girls in the house. He felt like he knew him a bit since Cas talked about him in the plane, and that made him uncomfortable. But why would he feel like this because of a guy he didn’t know before and whom he will probably never hear about again in the future ?

Half an hour after, Sam was laying on his bed, looking at the ceiling. He was tired, he really did, but he couldn’t just close his eyes and sleep. Once again he was over-thinking. 

_What if Jess didn’t cheat on me ?_

_What if I don’t get my exams ?_

_What if I could never be a lawyer ?_

_What if I end up alone ?_

By midnight his throat was too dry, he had no choice but to go downstairs to drink. In fact Sam had seen a bottle of water on his bedside table, but he couldn’t help his legs going downstairs.

He managed to find the switch. The light revealed what he could compare to the Great Hall of Hogwarts, scale-speaking. The ceiling was way higher than what he thought he’d seen in the first place, the furniture was mainly made of steel, of wood, or painted in white. The whole place was welcoming. The kitchen looked like the one from a restaurant. Sam tried to figure out where the glasses could be when he heard music coming from the corridor. He followed it, not really knowing what he was doing, and found himself at the entrance of Gabriel’s office. It looked like the living room with a huge light wooden desk facing the entrance, and behind him a huge patio door leading to the garden. It was about 1 a.m. and Sam could only see a steamy shape of the forest thanks to the stars’ light. 

Gabriel seemed to finally notice him, lying his eyes on Sam.

"What can I do for you, Sammy ?" asked Gabriel with a great smile.

Sam usually didn’t like being called Sammy, but this surname in Gabriel’s mouth sounded great.

"I… I was looking for a glass of water but I couldn’t guess where the glasses were. Your kitchen’s huge" mumbled Sam to refrain from smiling like an idiot as he felt he was dangerously about to ever since Gabe smiled to him.

"Arf. Yes. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and… Well…", he looked at Sam with a bored look while heading to the kitchen, "I could afford it so I thought ‘you’ll have to do something with your money one day’. Here you go" finished Gabriel while offering a glass of water to Sam. "I know it could sound presumptuous. Sorry."

"Why do you apologize ?" ask Sam, "It’s not like you stole your money. What do you do by the way ?"

Gabriel took a glass for himself. "At first I was in pure trade. I got hired by a company in Paris. I quickly got promoted and then one thing led to the other… I made a lot of money. I’m kind of a patron now. I help some startup companies with money and advises in exchange for stocks. I guess it works good for me" concluded Gabriel.

"More than good I’d say" said Sam, thoughtful. He wished he could have this sort of career.

"And how is it going for you Sammy ?"

"Well… I study to become a lawyer." Sam stopped and laughed seeing the look Gabe gave him, the what-about-you-telling-me-more kind of look. "I’ve been a bit overwhelmed these days so Dean insisted for me to come with them. I hope it doesn’t bother you…"

Gabriel laughed weakly. "It doesn’t make the slightest difference to me, be sure of that." He let his now empty glass in the sink. "If you’re hungry feel free to rummage through all the cupboards. The dishes are all gathered here and the drinks are up there." He then got back to his office. Before he left, he turned around to face Sam. "Glad to know you, Sam." Before Sam had the time to answer he closed to door of his office. Gabriel stayed for a while leaning against the door, his eyes closed, convincing himself that Sam wasn’t attractive at all, and when he saw that he had just received a message from the older Novak brother Micheal, he stopped thinking about the Winchester.

Just after Gabe left him, Sam got back to his room. He laid on his bed, closed his eyes, and finally fell asleep thinking about his host.

 

***

 

"Good morning sunshine !"

_What… This voice ? ‘Must be dreaming…_

"I said wake up Gigantor !"

_Why would a dream insult me ?_

"Don’t make me do this, please."

_Make what ?_

Sam didn’t have the time to figure out what was happening before someone threw his blanket away. He opened his eyes widely and saw Gabriel opening the window. 

"Wait…" started Sam, "did you just call me Gigantor ?"

"Not my fault if your as tall as the Eiffel Tower" laughed Gabriel. "Now move your ass from that bed, Cas and Dean are having breakfast. Seems like you’re heading to Versailles today."

"I don’t even know a single word in French" mumbled Sam.

Gabriel sat on the bed, a serious look on his face. "Ok there’re a few things : ‘hello’ is ‘bonjour’, ‘please’ is ’s’il-te-plaît’, ‘thanks’ is ‘merci’ and ‘shit’ is ‘merde’. If you need any intelligence call me." Gabriel winked at him. Sam felt like it was the best day of his life. "Maintenant viens avec moi chéri, je meurs de faim et vu les bruits de ton estomac, toi aussi" said Gabriel, pushing the giant outside of his room.

"I didn’t get a single word, Gabe." When Sam realized he just called Gabriel ‘Gabe' it was too late. He waited for Gabriel’s reaction but nothing came except a smile. It could have been worst. 

The breakfast table was much more like a Valhalla buffet. It was all sugar, fat and starch and Sam realized how much his stomach was sore. He managed to find some fruits and enjoyed the lively meal.

"Gabriel", started Cas uncertainly, "did you get Micheal’s message ?"

The mood suddenly switched.

"Yes" answered Gabriel, in a rush to speak of something else.

"What message ?" asked Dean, worriedly. He wasn’t very fond of the Novak family. He knew that Castiel -and apparently Gabriel- were too open minded for them, reason why he had been pushed aside. On the other hand, Micheal, the older brother, had always been daddy’s favorite. He worked in his father’s company and was on tracks to a promising career. Dean had just seen him once at the beginning of his relationship with Cas, and he still wasn’t able to forget the despising gaze Micheal gave him.

"Micheal has the honor to announce us that he is getting married" read Cas, repelled by every word he had pronounced.

They finished to eat quietly and quickly and went back to their rooms to get ready for the trip to Versailles, leaving Gabriel alone at the house since he claimed he already knew the castle by heart. Sam wasn’t this excited about the idea of visiting a castle for a whole day, but the moment he got there he felt purely amazed. He didn’t know much about architecture but he could easily figure out that this was a master piece. He first followed Dean and Cas though the many rooms but when they headed to the garden he left the couple behind to explore.

"I never thought a castle and garden could be this… interesting. I really wasn’t expecting this. To be honest, I thought it would be boring as fuck, but this was just amazing. I finally get why so many people are obsessed with it" said Sam, as he laid on the couch in Gabriel’s office. 

Dean and Castiel had jumped in the pool -yes, there was a pool too- as soon as they had got back home, but Sam had staid inside. He had bumped into Gabriel as he tried to decide which cereal to eat. The Novak invited him in his office so he could tell him how their day had been. Gabriel was glad to have an happy-Sammy with him. It changed him from his usual loneliness. 

_Maybe having some people home isn’t the worst idea ever… Especially when one of them is Sam Winchester…_

Gabriel coughed as the idea ran through is head.

"Everything’s alright ?" asked Sam with -maybe- a little too much concern.

"Yes, yes…" said Gabriel, taking a sip of water. "It’s your enthusiasm, I’m not use to it, it’s taking over me."

Maybe Sam was smiling too much at his comment, maybe he was a bit too happy that he, Gabriel Novak, made him smile this way. Who knows. A knock on the patio door made them startle. It was Dean, still soaked with water.

"Guys, stop staring at each other like idiots and come with us, the water’s hot !" said Dean, more demanding than offering.

It was clear for the two boys that they had no choice. The both went upstairs and Sam waited until Gabriel entered his room -the last one, at the end of the corridor- to enter his own. He quickly put his swimming trunks on, picked up a towel and walked downstairs to jump in the promise water. Gabriel went out of his own room just a few second after him and stared at Sam’s back like it was the most mouth-watering candy he’d ever seen. Maybe it was. Who knows.

The four guys in the pool was a total mess. First it was Winchesters against Novaks, then Dean and Castiel made an alliance forcing Sam and Gabriel to work against them together, and finally everyone betrayed everyone and soon there was more water on the ground than in the pool. It had almost been three hours since they got in when they decided to go downtown to get pizzas, Gabriel having decided that they’d have all the time needed to have some snails and other "pure French food" once they would be in Paris. Gabriel won the game of being ready first - when he toured the boys around the house he hadn't mentioned that he had a bathroom and a dressing room in his office.

Gabriel led the boys to his garage and Dean almost fainted before the -never- too many cars. As a passionated mechanic his first passion after Castiel was cars. He could talk about it for days. When he saw that Gabriel was heading them to a Tesla S, he immediately decided that he was his favorite brother in law ever.

"Brother in law ? We’re not even married yet." said Cas, trying to stay as placid as possible tough he felt his cheeks blushing.

Dean turned white as he realized he just thought out loud.

"Glad to know I’m your favorite though !" laughed Gabriel as he jumped into the car.

Dean and Castiel took the backseats, leaving the passenger seat, next to Gabriel, to Sam. Cars were not really his jam but he had to admit that this one was particularly comfortable and pretty. He’d never been in an electrical car before, and it was weird for him to see that they were going forwards even though there were no sounds nor vibrations of any kind while they made the quick ride.

"Here we go boys !" declared Gabriel as he parked the car on a half full parking. "This is not Jean-François Piège’s restaurant but they make awesome pizzas and pastas."

They headed inside. It was clear that the staff already knew Gabriel.

"Monsieur Novak, quel plaisir de vous revoir ! Et accompagné, pour une fois !" said a girl behind the counter in the entrance. The look she gave to Gabriel didn’t really please Sam.

"Bonjour Madame Patel," replied Gabriel with a perfect accent, "ce sera pour une table de quatre s’il-vous-plaît."

"Bien sûr, suivez moi" said the girl before leading them in a quieter place, aside the main room. "Installez vous, je vous en prie. Je vous apporte les cartes dans un instant." she added before going back to the entrance.

"She’s bringing us the menu" said Gabriel as he waved sit down to the others.

The girl came back quickly, and the Winchester brothers got confronted to a big problem : they didn’t get one single word in French. Castiel laughed at how cute Dean looked trying to figure out what all these strange words could be, and he took the responsibility to translate for him.

"Wait. You speak French ?" asked Dean with surprise.

"Have you seen my family ? Of course I speak French. We had to learn everything that looked fancy to our parents" said Cas shrugging.

Dean had his own boyfriend-translator, but Sam on the other hand was still wondering what a "viande bovine française" could possibly be. He shivered as he felt a soft hand on his own.

"Come here Gigantor, I’ll translate for you" said Gabriel with a soothing smile and an incredibly soft voice.

Sam let Gabriel translate every dish on the menu, and even after he had made his choice he let Gabriel continue so he could hear his voice longer. After a few minutes the waitress came back.

"Vous avez choisi ?" asked her.

"Ce sera des carbonara pour moi et une pizza carnivore pour mon mari" said Cas with a huge smile knowing that Dean wouldn’t understand. But Gabriel did, and the look he gave Castiel made his brother lose all sense of phlegm and laugh. 

"Mon ami prendra des lasagnes et je vous prendrai une pizzaiolo, merci" finished Gabriel, trying not to laugh too hard seeing Castiel's face and the two understanding faces of the Winchesters.

"Et pour les boissons ?" asked the waitress again.

"What do you wanna drink, boys ?" translated Gabriel.

After a short concertation they ordered a bottle of red wine.

The meal was delicious, the dishes as much as the desserts. They ordered another bottle of wine, so the conversation became more and more opened. Gabriel didn’t drink that much so he was sure he could drive the three others back home. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that Castiel and the Winchesters were a bit tipsy. Well, more than a bit. Dean and Cas were both quite eager to be be alone, and Gabriel and Sam knew what they were about to do when they saw them running to their room.

"Good news for you : you won’t leave early tomorrow !" laughed Gabriel, not seeing the insistent look Sam gave him. Not Sam : the alcohol. But maybe Sam too. A bit. Who knows.

"Want another glass of wine before sleeping ?" asked Gabriel while taking a bottle and two glasses. He had only drunk one glass at the restaurant. He usually wasn’t this responsible. He didn’t wait for Sam to answer and gave him a glass anyway. Sam opened his eyes wide as he tasted the best wine he’d ever tasted.

"That’s… delicious !" Sam didn’t really know which words to use to describe it.

"Yup. ‘Thought it’ll be a good one" said Gabriel, drinking slowly.

"Wait…" Sam blocked as he read the label on the bottle. "It’s… It’s a Saint-Émilion 1990."

"Yep. As good as it should be."

Sam was confused. It wasn't the type of bottle you open in your kitchen by midnight. His thoughts were interrupted as Gabriel refilled his glass.

"So tell me Sammy-boy… What went wrong that Dean and Cas forced you to come with them ?" asked Gabriel.

"My girlfriend cheated on me with my best friend." Sam didn’t actually meant to say the truth, but speaking to Gabe was easy, so he let the wall he had built in his head fall down and let his heart speak for itself. "It was a Friday night. I remember very well, I had just finished my exams. I knew Brady and Jessica had seen each other a few times, but as a dumbass I thought they were studying, not…" Sam drank a bit before going on, and the understanding look Gabriel gave him warmed his heart. "Anyway. I came back home -cause we lived together- and when I opened the door I heard some… noises from the bedroom if you know what I mean. So I went straight there, not really knowing what I’ll see, and then I saw Jess riding Brady like she had never done with me."

"Damn…" said Gabriel with concern as he emptied the bottle before opening another.

"Yes… Brady saw me and he didn’t even try to pretend… Anything. He just smiled at me while my girlfriend was coming on him. I left immediately and I went to Dean and Cas’ flat. Not really the best day of my life." Sam whispered the last words, lost in his thoughts. He couldn’t help but think about what Castiel said to him in the plane about Gabriel. Right now he really wanted to know what happened for him to run away to France. It was confession time, right ? And the alcool had ripped every buffer he might have anyway. "What happened that you got expelled from university and came to live here the next day ?"

Gabriel gritted his teeth. It wasn’t his best memory, but the puppy look Sam gave him was the key to the padlock of his jaw.

"I had a boyfriend. At first it was great and everything but… Well… He always wanted _more_. And I thought I loved him and everything and I didn’t want to loose him so I gave him everything he wanted ’til he went too far. I tried to… you know… say _no_ to him but… well… it didn’t please him. I had to defend myself." Gabriel fled Sam’s eyes, fearing a judgmental look, but the only thing he felt was a soothing squeeze on his hand. "We both got hurt in the fight. Unfortunately his family was a hundred percent behind him and mine had left me the second they knew I was gay. He went to the headmaster to complain with a big cheque in his pocket and the second after I was expelled. I called my parents for help but  they didn’t answer, so I packed my things and left. I came to France because it was the only place that I remembered which felt like home, even if I had just been there for a few weeks before. I discovered that my awesome father had blocked all my bank accounts when I went to the airport. Castiel helped me. He ran after me and when he figured out that I wouldn’t come back he gave me enough money to live for a few weeks and wished me good luck. He’d always been my number one support."

Sam couldn’t help the forward thrust that made him hug Gabriel. It felt good having him in his arms and feeling him leaning to rest his head on his chest. Gabriel didn’t even remember the last time someone hugged him this way, with an infinite concern and an obvious will to make him feel better. He hugged Sam back, surrounding Sam with his arms as Sam’s surrounded his waist. They remained like this for what felt like eternity, resting against one another’s chest as their heartbeats seemed to synchronize. They both enjoyed the moment until they felt that they couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore. They both headed upstairs, not really paying attention to their uncommon proximity in the large stairs. Gabriel opened Sam’s door and wished him a good night. He couldn’t help his hand to squeeze Sam’s arm one more time, and when Sam finally closed his door Gabriel was way too overthinking to sleep. He got back to his office and managed to put his many files into order until he felt down on his couch as the sun was showing up.

 

***

 

"Why on earth are you sleeping here, Gabriel ?"

Cas’ voice made Gabriel jump on his feet with surprise.

"Why are you in my office anyway ?" asked Gabriel as he passed a hand on his sore back.

"Dean and Sam were wondering where you could possibly be and I didn’t mind entering your personal space. But you didn’t answer my question : why are you here ? I thought we had talked about this. If you do want to feel better you have to mind having a healthier lifestyle. That," he pointed the couch and Gabriel’s zombie-face, "is not what I call healthy. So tell me what happened. You know I can hear anything."

"Why are you this concerned about me…" mumbled Gabriel with a grumpy tone.

"Because you’re not concerned about yourself and someone has to. So tell me."

Gabriel had no way out. If he managed to leave his office -Cas being in front of the door- he knew his brother would pursue him and he didn’t want him to make a fuss in front of the Winchesters.

"I couldn’t sleep because I was overthinking so I came here to work a bit and then I fell asleep. Cross my heart." Gabriel knew that his brother knew he wasn’t telling him everything. He could see the spark in his eyes.

"Ok…" Castiel turned around to go back to the kitchen, but he stopped a second before leaving. "I saw you with Sam yesterday. He’s someone good. If you want to talk about it I'm here." Castiel eventually left, leaving Gabriel alone with his thoughts, not knowing if he should smile or run.

The day’s destination for the three tourists was Paris. Dean was the most enthusiastic of the three, running in every directions, asking some translations to Cas and trying to speak a few words in the most ridiculous yet cute way. Sam on the other hand had been at first impress by the city, but he quickly got tired of running everywhere. At the end of the day Cas and Dean decided to stay in town in the greatest hotel Cas found -he refused to let Dean pay a single thing- but Sam refused to stay with them, pleading that he preferred going back home. Cas wanted to argue but Dean stopped him, thanking his brother for letting him and his boyfriend alone, knowing that Sam truly didn’t mind going back to Gabriel’s house.

Back in the villa, Sam took some stuff to eat and started to look at the many shelves in the living room which were bending under the weight of hundreds of books. Lost in his contemplation he didn’t notice Gabriel, who was looking intensely at him.

"I thought you guys wanted to stay in Paris tonight" said Gabriel.

Sam jumped, not expecting Gabriel to be here, wondering since _how long_ he was staring.

"Dean and Cas staid. I was too tired to visit Paris one more day. And they didn’t need me by their side" finished Sam, laughing softly.

 _Damn…_ Thought Gabriel as he heard Sam’s laugh, feeling shivers on his back.

"I hope it doesn’t bother you, you know… Having me wandering here" asked Sam with hesitation.

"Why the hell do you think your presence doesn’t please me ?" Gabriel froze as he realized what his sentence could possibly mean. Of course he liked having the Winchester around, it felt reassuring to know that he wasn’t far away, and the hug from yesterday night had been the best thing that happened in his life for months. Yet he didn’t know how to feel about it. Sam was tall and handsome and clever and everything but Gabriel had some serious trust issues. And nothing had proved him yet that he was also interested in male, what was one of his biggest problem with all this frigging kind-of-relationship-or-he-didn’t-know-what thing. And he didn’t even know if ‘relationship’ was the word to use. He was just desperate, all alone in a villa he ordered only to prove his parents he could have a big one too, but the reality was : he hated this house. It was too big, too empty. There were five rooms upstairs but he spent most of his time surviving in his office. Castiel and the two Winchester brothers had been his very first guests here. Of course he had tried to follow Castiel advise, which was to find someone with whom he felt good, but he never found someone like that. Well, until he laid his eyes on this giant who showed up at the entrance of his office to ask for a glass of water.

"Gabriel ? You’re ok man ?" Gabe heard Sam’s voice calling him and he realized that he’d been lost in his thoughts for a while 

"Would you like to come with me to Bretagne ? I got some stuff to do for work in Brest, but then I could make you visit the city" asked Gabriel without really realizing what he was doing, but it was too late to pull out the invitation.

Sam first thought he had miss-heard. There was no way that Gabe invited him to come with him to Bretagne where there would possibly be only the two of them and… "Sure, it would be great !" Sam heard himself say, wondering if he was still alone in his head or if someone just took the control of his mouth.

"Great…" Gabriel replied, not knowing why his stomach was flipping that much. "But we gotta leave like in three hours, it’ll be ok for you ?"

"Sure, I haven’t unpacked much things" Sam replied, feeling both awkward and restless about the whole situation.

"Don’t mind bearing your suitcase outside, Antony will put them in the car for us."

They both stood in the living room, not really knowing what to do.

"Maybe I should tell Dean and Cas that we’re going to Brest together while you pack your stuff," managed to say Gabriel, tearing himself off Sam’s eyes, pretending that his phone was in his office even though he perfectly knew it was in his pocket.


	2. No clue how to deal with it

"Whoa."

Gabriel had told Sam that his house near Brest was smaller than the villa, but it was still pretty impressive.

"So that’s what you call ‘small’. Ok," laughed Sam as he followed Gabriel inside.

The house was on the edge of a cliff. The living room had huge windows, offering the best possible view on the beautiful sea. 

"Come with me, I’ll show you your room," said gently Gabriel, leading Sam into a corridor on the left. "Your room’s on the right, mine’s on the left. Each one has its own bathroom. If you’re thirsty or anything the kitchen’s full and there’s a covered patio with a bar on the roof. In the living room you got books, movies, and video games, so you won’t have time to get bored ’til I come back from work." 

Sam knew that he wouldn’t see Gabriel a lot for a few days, but it didn’t bother him at all. In fact he was restless knowing that they’ll be visiting the city in the evening, just the two of them.

"You know that waiting for you isn’t a problem at all…" said Sam gently, his hand on Gabe’s arm. He didn’t truly know how but they became very close on the flight to Brest. Not that it didn’t please him. He just wasn’t used to it and didn’t really know how to feel about it. Jess’s betrayal was still on his mind and he had issues considering a new relationship. If whatever there was between Gabe and him was leading them to a relationship. If there was something between him and Gabe at all. Anyway, he had no clue how to deal with it.

They spent the night eating hot dogs and french fries. By 2 a.m. Sam dragged Gabriel to the Novak’s room, saying that he needed to rest if he wanted to be fully awake at work and then go on a walk with Sam in the evening. The ‘walk with Sam’ part of the speech seemed to convinced Gabriel, who let the giant take him to his bed, laughing at how childish he behaved. 

"Please Gabe, go the fuck to sleep," said Sam once more, throwing the human package on the bed. Unfortunately -or not- Gabriel grabbed Sam’s shoulder harder, making Sam fall with him on the confortable mattress. They both laughed, but then they became quiet, staring at the other. Sam finally got up. He passed his hand in Gabriel’s hair. "‘Night Gabe". Sam’s touch made Gabriel lean his head towards him and, finally -unfortunately-, Sam left the room with one last smile. Once the door shut, Gabe realized how much this being close to Sam had turned him on. He got up, heading to the bathroom, his mind out of control.

Sam had locked himself in his room immediately after leaving Gabriel’s. He wasn’t able to go back to the other room to… Well… He didn’t have a clue. He wanted something. He wanted it badly.

_"It's all the same, only the names will change_

_Everyday, it seems we're wastin' away_

_Another place where the faces are so cold_

_I drive all night just to get back home"_

Sam picked up his phone, cutting Bon Jovi off.

"Hey Sam ! How’re you doing ?" Dean said happily.

"Dean, it’s 2 a.m."

"I perfectly know that, dude. So why are you up this late ?" Dean’s tone was all mysterious and Sam new what it meant : _danger_. 

"What are _you_ doing up at this hour, Dean ? You should rest if you want to survive to one more day visiting Paris." Yes, Sam knew he was avoiding his brother’s obvious question.

"Cas and I had spent a… good night," said Dean, grinning. "He went to order some food. I decided to call you meanwhile. "

"You mean that in this kind of hotel they can’t afford a phone so you don’t have to leave your room ?" asked Sam suspiciously.

"He’s right Dean," heard Sam, recognizing Cas’ voice.

"Ssshhhh, he’ll hear you !" said Dean in the most not-discreet-but-at-least-he-tried way.

"Good night Dean," managed Sam to say as he still wasn’t laughing too hard, doing his best so Gabriel wouldn’t hear him, and then threw his phone away.

Why on earth would his brother call him at 2 a.m. to know how he was doing…

"God dammit," breathed out Sam, letting himself fall on the bed.

 

***

 

Day one in the sea house. When Sam woke up it was already noon. Of course, Gabriel wasn’t home to bring him some coffee - why would he do that anyway ? Instead he left Sam a note on the kitchen counter.

_Didn’t want to wake you up, you were too cute snoring,_

_I’ll be back by 5,_

_Gabe xxx_

Sam felt his heart burning as he realized that Gabriel went to his room, looked at him sleeping, and found him cute.

"I don’t snore," mumbled Sam to refrain the outburst of joy he just felt.

He managed to find some food and went straight to the couch. Turning the TV on, he discovered that, yes, in France, all the shows were in French. What a discovery. He ended up on a show for children to learn English, and found it surprisingly entertaining. He finally spent the entire day watching it and unhooked his eyes from the screen only when he felt someone falling on the couch next to him.

"Don’t tell me you watched it all day long," said Gabriel with an genuinely concerned tone. Sam didn’t have to answer, Gabe having seen his face. "God damn it you did."

"In fact I woke up by noon so it’s been only half the day," laughed Sam, leaning against Gabriel’s shoulder thoughtlessly. They stared at the TV, hypnotized by the bright colors and the high voices.

"Fuck, we really gotta move our asses outta here or we’ll frigging die here," mumbled Gabriel as he ripped himself off the couch, taking Sam with him. "Go get dressed Sammy, I’m taking you to the best burger restaurant ever."

Ten minutes later they were both heading to the garage, where a Mini Cooper was waiting for them. The ride from the house to the restaurant took about fifteen minutes. They remained quiet all the way, not feeling the need to speak as their own presence was reassuring.

They spent the meal speaking, laughing, and feeding each other. They staid there until the waitress threw them outside and then they started to wonder around. Gabriel showed Sam all his favorite spots, and they ended up walking on the quay. Gabriel started to shiver and Sam rubbed his back to warm him. He finally let his arm fall down until their hands touched. They kept walking and soon they were holding hands. None of them made a comment.

These ‘late night walks’ became a habit. Gabriel was taking Sam to a different place every night, doing his best to come back early and buy more candy than they could possibly eat -but ate anyway- when he got in the house passed eight. They used to stay late and later in the couch every night, Sam having never seen _Doctor Who._

"You’ve never watched _Doctor Who_ ? Never ever ?" said Gabriel, incensed.

"Well… I never really had the occasion. It seems to be quite a big deal," answered Sam. "But I’m a student. I ain’t got time for that."

"Don’t you ever dare say something like that again. There’s always enough time for the Time Lord," recited Gabriel, a hand on the heart. "And _as a student_ you need take some time to rest."

That’s how they started to watch the most what-the-hell-is-going-on-this-is-awesome-show that Sam had ever seen. They quickly made it to the 9th season. Once the last episode ended, Sam didn’t get why Gabriel wasn’t putting on the 10th season.

"It’s because they just started shooting it," answered Gabriel. "But don’t you think you’re done with BBC’s shows. There’s one more you really need to watch."

And that’s how Sam discovered what became his favorite show ever : _Sherlock_.

 

***

 

"Honey, I’m home !" said proudly Gabriel as he opened wide the door, smiling at Sam who was laying on the couch. Some might thought it was a corpse laying there before Gabriel’s entrance, but the soft voice had pulled Sam out his thoughts and he smiled at he Novak widely.

"Maple syrup’s better," mumbled Sam, laughing at the bitch face Gabriel made. He then gave him a soothing hug, seeing how tired Gabe looked.

"Let me be honest with you fellow, you look like shit," declared Sam with all the seriousness he managed to gather. The single sigh Gabriel made proved him right. "What about we just stay here tonight ? I don’t want you to actually die of tiredness because of me. It would be a mess to explain that to Cas."

"Thanks…" whispered Gabriel at Sam’s ear, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek, causing Sam to furiously blush. "But I don’t want you to starve. I’ll make pizzas," said Gabriel as he got up and headed to the kitchen.

"Need any help ?" asked Sam even though he new the answer, having seen Gabriel cooking a few time already.

"No way you’re touching anything while _I_ am cooking. Just sit on a stool and look pretty," answered Gabriel, already getting ustensiles out of the cupboards.

Sam put on some music and did as he was told, laughing at the face Gabriel made seeing his beautiful duck-face. Gabe finally tried to teach Sam how to make pizzas, but quickly they got covered with flour so that not even five minutes later he put him back on his seat. Once the pizzas were in the oven, they waited playing cat and mouse. 

 

_"Beep, beeep, beeeeeep !"_

 

"Pizzas’re ready !" sang Gabriel, running back to the kitchen, leaving Sam out of breath laying in the corridor.

"How can you still be running, pal… I feel like I’m about to die," said Sam as he dragged himself to the kitchen counter where the most beautiful pizzas he had ever seen waited for him - yes, he was objective.

"One each. Bon appétit !" said Gabriel, already mouthful of food.

"Damn that’s good…" moaned Sam, amazed.

"It’d better be !" laughed Gabriel, giving a thankful look at Sam.

They ate dancing, singing, playing and feeding one another. Once they had finished Gabriel decided to make a dessert, starting a _choux à la crème_ recipe. Once dessert was ready they headed to the couch, starting _Sherlock_ ’s second season. Quickly Gabriel was laying on Sam, his head resting on the tall man’s chest. Ninety minutes later, once the end title over, they remained in this position, Sam rubbing softly Gabe’s back and Gabriel drawing small circles on Sam’s arm.

Gabriel was the first one to move, willing to get up but paralyzed as his eyes got captured by Sam’s. Slowly they got closer and closer until their lips were sealed. The kiss was at first soft, gentle, slow, but the growing longing of both men turned it into something more passionate. They opened their mouths with hunger as they made their tongues dance together. Sam gently made Gabriel move to have him straggling his lap, causing their hips to press against one another’s, letting them feel how aroused they both were. Gabriel locked his arms around Sam’s neck and his legs around his waist as Sam got up the couch, heading to a bedroom - his or Gabe’s, it didn’t matter. He put Gabriel softly on the bed, himself still standing before him, studying him. Gabriel moaned seeing his gaze, spreading his legs on the bed so Sam had no choice but to fall between them, throwing away Gabe’s shirt to explore his chest, kissing and bitting every inches of skin, leaded by Gabriel’s whimpers.

It was the best torture Gabriel had ever have to endure. He pulled Sam to him to kiss him once again, taking advantage of the situation to remove his shirt so he could be able to caress this soft skin he had been dreaming of since he met the guy. He wasn’t expecting Sam to firmly roll his hips against his and groaned loudly at the delicious friction. He flipped his legs to be on top of Sam, moving back and forth against him.

"Gabe you gotta stop or I’m gonna come," whimpered Sam, breathless.

Gabriel leaned to bit Sam’s neck, then softly kissed him as he kept doing. "Oh, really Sammy-boy ? You really think I will let you come with your clothes still on ?"

Sam groaned as Gabriel started to go down, leaving small kisses all along his muscles. His mind definitely turned off when Gabriel unzipped his pants with his teeth, teasing him through the fabric of his underwear. He ripped the pants off and threw it away. His eyes opened wide with hunger seeing Sam’s arousal and he couldn’t help but lean over to press some gentle kisses all over it. 

Gabriel’s mind got dizzy with Sam’s whimpers. He started to pull off the last piece of fabric, looking at Sam right in the eyes as he revealed his fully naked body. Sam was paralyzed under the lusty gaze. Gabriel got back to Sam’s lips, kissing him with passion as he started to stroke him slowly, squeezing the tip, grinning at the small noises Sam made, doing his best not to cry out of his pleasure.

Gabriel suddenly felt a hand unzipping his pants and making his way to his underwear, stroking him on the same pace.

"God damn it, Sam…" mumbled Gabriel, bitting is lower lip but still keeping the same rhythm, driving Sam crazy.

"More, Gabe," begged Sam, moving faster against Gabriel’s hand. 

Sam groaned as Gabriel took away from him.

"What’s wrong ?" asked Sam, leaning to touch Gabriel’s body again. Seeing the lust in his eyes he felt his cock twisting. He kissed his jaw and continued to his ear, bitting his lobe. "‘Want to feel you in me, Gabe…"

In less than a second Gabriel was back on top of Sam, licking is cock and starting to tease his entrance with his fingers. Sam didn’t have time to see him taking some lube, and he moaned loudly feeling the wetted finger making his way inside of him.

"More," he begged, already rolling his hips, lost in the mixed sensations of the mouth of Gabriel around his cock and the finger pressing against his prostate. Soon it was two fingers scissoring him, then three.

"Gabe…" But Sam didn’t have the time to finish his sentence that Gabe’s lips were on his, swallowing his moans as he heard Gabriel opening a wrapping.

Gabriel pulled back a second, looking at Sam in the eyes to be sure they both wanted the same thing. He figured out that Sam was as eager as him to go further when he took him in his hand to press Gabe’s tip against his entrance, causing both of them to moan, Gabriel burying his head in Sam’s shoulder, bitting it gently.

He pushed slowly against Sam’s entrance, gathering all is self-control to not thrust fast and hard into Sam. He then felt Sam’s hips rolling against his and he started to pull in and out, going faster and harder, rubbing Sam’s prostate every single time, causing him to cry out under him.

The sounds Sam made mixed with his tightness brought quickly Gabriel to the edge. He took Sam’s cock in his hand, stocking him at the same pace he was thrusting in. He felt Sam becoming tighter as his orgasm reached over him. Gabriel didn’t resist any longer, thrusting harder a few more times before he sunk into the ultimate wave of pleasure. 

He let himself fall next to Sam, shivering because of the orgasm. He felt Sam’s arms surrounding him as their legs got mixed up. It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep.

 

***

 

The bed was cold when Sam woke up. He knew thanks to the sunlight that he wasn't in his room. The memory of Gabriel moving in him made him shiver as he got up. Once dressed he realized that Gabriel’s belongings were no more there. He headed to the kitchen, his stomach empty and his head full of questions.

"Finally !" said Gabriel as he put down a bag of clothes. 

Sam frowned. "What’s going on, Gabe ? I thought we were suppose to leave in three days ?" 

"Well, plan changed. Work’s calling me to Paris. Big contract," answered Gabriel in a hurry. "I took the liberty to pack your stuff. You’ll have time to eat in the plane."

Sam was speechless. He didn’t have time to argue that Antony, the driver, came in and started to carry the bags to the car.

Once in the plane Sam tried to speak to Gabriel, with no result. He always answered quickly, not willing to continue the conversation, always on his phone or reading what seemed to be serious papers.

Gabriel had noticed that Sam was trying to get his attention, but he did his best to bury himself in what was in fact a simple water bill. Last night was one of his best ever. Yet, he wasn’t able to handle it. This affection he felt for Sam had disturbed him in the most serious way. But he couldn't afford loosing himself in a new relationship. He simply couldn’t. He tried to seem as indifferent as he could and his heart hurt more than he expected when he saw Sam withdrawing. 

 

***

 

"Oh… Hello guys. We weren’t expecting you," said Dean, laid on Cas on the kitchen counter, a Nutella pot next to them.

Without a comment Gabriel headed to his office, not paying attention to what was about to happen in his kitchen - and not thinking about what might have happened before. Dean and Cas’s minds got straight clear as they felt the palpable tension between their little brothers. With a simple gaze they decided to split, Dean going to talk to Sam and Cas going to talk to Gabriel.

"What happened ?" asked Dean softly.

"Why do you mind ?" answered Sam angrily.

"Because I’m your big bro and I see you’re not alright. So tell me. What happened ?"

"You perfectly know what happened, Dean," said Sam, getting up to look at the window.

"And ?" Sam remained silent. Dean started to be really worried. "Did he hurt you ? Did he make you do things you didn’t want ? Fuck it Sam, tell me if I gotta destroy his jackass face," said Dean with despair, knowing at the gaze Sam gave him that he wouldn’t have any answer.

"If you hurt him Cas will leave you. It’s not worth it. I just didn’t expected that… Well. That it would end up like that. But I’m ok. Just tired because of the flight."

Dean was suspicious, but he finally let his brother alone. Going downstairs he heard voices coming from Gabriel’s office.

"Why did you have to mess it up, Gabe ? Are you this stupid ? You may have a lot of success in your work life but you can’t act the same way in relationships with human beings. You can’t leave someone and hope that you will find another after. Sam isn’t a fucking start-up !" shouted Cas, and Dean grinned at the comparison.

"Fuck you, Cas. That’s my damn life. You have no fucking idea what I’ve been through," answered Gabriel with a bitter tone. "Now leave my damn office and go back to your perfect love life. I got work to do."

Dean shared a concerned look with Cas when he came out of the office. 

"We will leave you earlier Gabriel," started Cas in the evening when they were all gathered around the table, "Dean has an interview on Monday." Gabriel just nodded as an answer. "Have you seen that Micheal is getting married earlier ?" Another nod for an answer. "You could come at our flat if you don’t want to deal with the family for one more night," said Cas, trying one more time to get his attention.

"I got two months and a half to think about it. I might as well rent one for myself," answered Gabriel, getting back to his food.

After two days of cold war Cas and the two Winchesters left France, leaving Gabriel alone in his too big house.

 

***

 

"C’mon Sam, leave this damn room and come with us," raged out Dean as he tried to pull is little bro out of his flat. Sam had moved to a new one. He couldn’t handle the view of the happy couple Dean and Cas made. He had made the terrible mistake of giving a key of the apartment to his brother. Now he definitely had to change the lock.

"Leave me alone, jerk," said Sam, not removing his eyes of his screen. He had to memorize every words for the year to come class. He had to be top of the class if he wanted to get a good job instead of working in a shitty office.

"Bitch," replied Dean, smiling but still worried. "Come on, Sam, since when didn’t you get your ass out of here ?"

Sam didn’t answer, the truth being : he didn’t even remember. As soon as him and the happiest couple of the year got back from France he wanted to leave the guys alone. Two weeks later he moved to his new flat and he left it only to buy some edible stuff. It’s been two months now.

"Don’t make me do this, pal," asked Dean seriously.

"Don’t make you do what ?"

Sam’s eyes opened wide as his big brother pulled on the fire alarm.

"What’s wrong with you, guy ?" said Sam, putting his hands on his ears in the hope of not turning deaf before his seventies.

Sam finally agreed to go out with his brother. Slowly he started to be more and more sociable, and Dean claimed victory when Sam agreed to be part of their Friday’s beers/shots tradition again.

"I really don’t wanna go to your brother’s wedding. I go only because I love you," declared seriously Dean to Cas one day, a little to much of alcohol in his blood.

"You know what, Dean ?" answered Cas on the same serious tone, leaning like he was about the say the code of the atomic bomb, "I don’t wanna go either. But if we don’t, you gotta be suuuure they will destroy our life because their’s so shitty they don’t get anything else to do." Drunk Cas was a bless to humanity.

Sam was pretty happy he wasn’t invited. He couldn’t even imagine him among all those people, this world he wasn’t a part of. And first thing to be glad of : he didn’t have to buy a fancy suit that would cost the price of a house only to wear it once since he didn’t have a so-called Cas to buy it for him.

 

_"Knock Knock Knock"_

 

Sam got up from his couch, passing in front of the big windows revealing the sleepy city. Of course it has to be when he was re-rewatching the last episode of _Sherlock_ that someone had to interrupt him.

_If it’s Dean I kill him._

It was Gabriel waiting behind the door.

"Hello Sam," started Gabriel with an uncertain tone he tried to hide, "would you mind if we both go to the cafe downstair and talk for a while ?"

Sam didn’t have a clue how to react, all the memories coming back in his head seeing the familiar face. However, he took a jacket and followed the Novak.

"So… What have you done since you got back home ?" asked Gabriel taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well… I moved in my new flat. I study. That’s pretty much everything." Sam felt like he was dreaming, head dizzy and heart beating hard. "What about you ? You were heading to Paris for a new contract lost time I saw you."

Gabriel swallowed hard. "Yes… A big contract. Lots of work. The company’s on his own now. I’ve sold my stocks. I figured out I had to manage some time out to have a life beside work."

"Nice."

They remained quiet as they finished their cups of coffee.

"I saw you kept on watching _Sherlock_ ," said Gabriel with a smirk. "You’ve seen the last episode ?"

"Hell yeah I saw it !" replied Sam. "I still can’t live with it, by the way," he laughed, and the mood went from freaking weird to warm.

"Actually I’ve started to play the violin since I’ve seen it," confessed Gabriel.

"I tried to. But me with an instrument is the promise of a huge mess," said Sam, commanding two more coffees. 

They talked about the show for hours. When the waitress told them that the cafe was closing, Gabriel took Sam back to his flat.

"By the way…" Sam frowned, "where do you sleep ?"

"Dean and Cas have gently accepted me on their couch."

"You’re lucky," said Sam, "their couch’s freaking confortable. Way more than my actual bed to be honest," he laughed, and Gabriel laughed with him.

"Tomorrow afternoon we’ll leave to the hotel. They want everyone to sleep there so they’ll be sure no-one will flee without them knowing it," spit out Gabriel.

"You aren’t happy going there either, aren’t you ?" asked Sam with pity.

"You can’t even imagine," breathed Gabriel out with despair.

They both stood there, one on each side of the door, the weird vibe was back again.

Gabriel took a deep breath. "In fact I was thinking… Would you go there with me so we’ll endure this together ?" asked him, not knowing if he actually asked it out loud as if his brain was messing with him once again.

"Yes," answered Sam, surprising both of them.


	3. Let There Be Love

_What the hell is wrong with me ?!_

Sam was leaning against his door, his hands covering his face. He had no memory _about him deciding anything before his mouth moved on itself_. He stood there until his back hurt and headed to his room. He had some packing to do.

_What the hell have I done…_

Gabriel was leaning against Sam’s door, his hands covering his face. He didn’t plan to ask Sam out in the first place. When he first arrived at Cas and Dean’s flat he felt a pain in his chest seeing that Sam wasn’t there anymore. His heart had beaten faster when Cas had told him where Sam now lived, and after hours wandering through town he knocked on Sam’s door and asked him out to… What ? To talk ? Talk about what ? The last time he talked to him he had told him a lie because he was just a coward who couldn’t handle feelings and who was too scared to open his heart once more after what happened back in college. He stood there for almost an hour and left only when the old lady next door threatened to call the police if he didn’t get the hell out of here. He then went back to his brother’s flat. They had left him a piece of pizza on the kitchen counter, but the memories it reminded him cut his hunger off. He laid down on the couch, looking through the window, wondering if it was Sam’s building out there. When he finally closed his eyes, the sun was already up.

 

***

 

_"Knock Knock Knock !"_

"I’m coming !" Sam yelled through the door. He didn’t sleep that much -didn’t sleep _at all_ \- and his hands were shaking as he finished to pack some clothes. When he opened wide the door he was happy to see his brother, but he looked down to his feet hearing the worried sigh he made seeing him.

"You look like crap, Sam," said Dean slowly, taking his brother’s bags so he was sure the little big one wouldn’t fall under their weight. "You’re sure you wanna do that ?"

Sam nodded, not really sure if it was really his own will or if it was just his tired muscles shivering too much. "Yes, yes… I guess."

Dean pressed Sam’s shoulder. "If you want to stay here there’s no problem. I can stay with you if you want, Sammy," whispered softly Dean with a soothing big bro tone. "I know you didn’t really made it through what he has done to you. Don’t you even try to deny it."

Sam nodded once more. It was definitely his muscles acting on their own. "I can deal with it," he replied.

Dean waited a moment to be sure his brother wouldn’t just collapse on the ground. He knew that Gabriel did destroy his baby brother, and he let him sleeping on his couch only because of Cas. To him it was just another bastard who had played with his brother’s heart, no matter what Cas said about a guy having broken his own brother before. Gabriel did hurt Sam. Dean couldn’t think about one valuable excuse.

Dean drove to the airport and Sam took advantage of the short trip to sleep a few minutes. Cas and Gabriel were already there. Sam finally realized what he was about to do, and froze.

"I don’t even have a proper suit," he said to Dean a few meters away from the Novaks.

"I know. Cas and Gabe had bought you some stuff this morning. Don’t even try to pay them back, they won’t let you," answered Dean, doing his best to hide his panic at the idea to go on a plane as he was only focused on Sam’s good health.

They let their suitcases on the carrousel and headed to their plane. Cas and Dean sat in the middle, Gabriel and Sam at both sides. The flight didn’t take long and soon their cab let them in front of a huge luxurious hotel. 

"Here you are !" Micheal Novak, dark hair, perfect skin, big white -fake- smile, welcomed them.

"Hello Micheal," said Cas with a polite yet cold tone.

" ‘Mick…" nodded Gabriel.

"And you must be Sam and Dean ! I’m glad to meet you !" It was obvious that Micheal wasn’t glad to meet the Winchestersat all. He didn’t shake their hands or anything, just nodded from a respectable distance. He led the four guys across the great hall.

"You’re free tonight. The hotel’s restaurant is open until midnight. However, I hope you will not be awaken by then," the smirk he made was all despising. "We will all meet up at eleven o’clock tomorrow. Private cars will drive you to the ceremony’s place, and then we’ll get back here for the reception. You’d better not be late." Micheal’s last words made no secret of his being angry at his two brothers and their _companions_. He left them at the reception counter, pleading in some polite words that he had better things to do.

"Well, it’s about 6 p.m., what do you think about a drink ?" asked Cas, willing to change his mind. They all agreed. The alcohol seemed to be the best cure for what they were going to go through.

Apparently, shots were a Novak’s stuff. The two Winchester brothers lost the count before both Novaks decided that they were both too well-trained for one of them to win the contest.

"How is this even human to drink that much and not pass away…" wondered Sam looking thoughtfully at this beer.

"College, Sammy-boy, it’s called college," said Gabriel with a wise tone.

"But I’ve never learnt to drink that much. And college’s almost over for me," replied Sam with jealousy.

"That’s because you’re too studious, Sammy," declared Gabriel with emphase, the alcohol taking over him after all. 

"I hope he’s studious," interrupted Dean. "One of us has to. Obviously I don’t."

"Stop underestimating you, Dean !" said Cas panicking - maybe this last shot was too much. "You’re the best person I’ve ever met. You’re passionated, sweet, skilled, you worry about people and you make sure everyone around you is alright, but Dean you really have to care about yourself a little more." Cas was breathless at the end of his soliloquy, and he didn’t have time to inhale some fresh air that Dean’s lips were on his, leaving him no time to get oxygen back to his brain. Sam and Gabriel shared a confused look, not really knowing what to do as their brothers started to make out badly just in front of them.

"Hum… Guys ?" tried Gabriel, in vain. "It’s embarrassing."

"Shut up… and… go… away," managed to say Cas between two moans.

Sam and Gabe laughed loudly as they got back to their room. The moon was high in the sky and they remained on the balcony as long as their tiredness allowed them to.

"I’ll go on the couch," said Sam abruptly once they got in.

"Why ?" asked Gabriel, "I mean… We can both sleep in the bed. If you’re ok with it, of course. If you don’t wanna share the bed with me…"

"If you’re ok with it I’m too," replied quickly Sam - too quickly ?

They fell onto the bed, and as Morpheus took them away from reality they got closer, protecting each other thoughtlessly.

 

***

 

Sam was the first one to wake up. He was resting on Gabriel’s chest, and he could feel his arms around his waist.

It felt good. Too good. He remembered the night he spent with Gabe in Brest and he suddenly felt the need to either run away or take Gabe right here right now. He got out of the bed and jumped in the shower. He could definitely not rethink about what he thought was happening between him and Gabriel. He couldn’t sooth himself with the idea that he may have the chance to get something _real_ with him. No way. Not after how he got thrown away. He was there only because Gabriel didn’t want to show up alone.

He quickly got out of the bed and started to get prepared. When Gabriel woke up, Sam barely said ‘Hi’ to him, doing his best to look as distant as possible. Gabe’s heart hurt badly as he headed to the bathroom. He wasn’t this surprised, yet he couldn’t help feeling sad. 

The four boys were downstairs by eleven. They all got into the same car, Sam trying to put as many distance as he could between him and Gabriel. The way to the ceremony’s place was quite long and they spent it in an uncomfortable silence, and later the way back would be no different.

The ceremony was more about signing a contract than celebrating love. Michael’s new wife Lydia was Dick Roman’s daughter, the man at the head of many huge companies around the world. This wedding seemed to be nothing less than an investment, and apparently, it pleased everyone. 

"Congratulations, Micheal," said Cas when it was is turn to lie to his brother.

"All the same, Mick," blurt out Gabriel in a hurry to leave this damn wedding even though he knew he still had to made it through the night.

"Gabriel," started Micheal with a mean look, "did something happen between you and your… _companion_ ?"

"Micheal…" warned Castiel in a will to defend the only brother he loved, but Gabriel put a hand on his arm to keep him backward.

"I saw Dean looking for you," mumbled Gabe. Cas gave him a worried gaze, but left after all.

"And since when don’t you need your precious Cas to defend you ? You’ve grown up so fast…" started to laugh Micheal before Gabriel grabbed his arm with more strength than necessary. 

"I brought Sam here because you and father didn’t want me to show myself alone," he whispered with a fake grin and a threatening tone, "And if you keep going that way I hope Luc will bring his ass here ‘cause you’re gonna need a damn shield." 

Gabriel let Micheal flee to his ‘wife’ after the meanest gaze he ever gave to anyone. He was out of his mind, feeling the blood rushing through his veines as he tried to calm himself down. It was a huge failure, and the only way he found to avoid yelling around the place was alcohol. Maybe not the best solution ever but, well, it worked. 

"Gabriel, please, don’t tell me that you’re drunk," asked Castiel with a begging tone, "the meal didn’t even start yet !"

"We’re sitting at the meal table, bro," said Gabriel with a wave of his hand. In fact, someone who didn’t know Gabriel wouldn’t be able to say that he had already drunk enough alcohol to kill a cow, but Castiel knew him well. Too well, maybe.

"Please, behave," Cas begged, "I don’t even want to think about what father would do to you if you show yourself with more alcohol than blood in your organism."

Cas had won the argument, and Gabriel put down the glass of wine he was about to empty. He looked around to see a bunch a people in fancy clothes talking with fancy words and moving infancy ways. He then turned to his own table, where Cas, Dean, Sam, himself, and another dude he didn’t know were sitting. Dean’s presence obviously made the reception more entertaining to Castiel, distracting him with some shitty jokes and soothing squeezes on his hand. Sam, on the other side, seemed as interested by the reception as a child would be by a book of a thousand pages about economy. He didn’t turn his head when Gabriel tried to talk to him, only waving vaguely and doing his best to end up the conversation right before it even started.

That was too much. Gabriel had tried to rebuilt what he thought he had broken between him and Sam, but apparently he just imagined things.

The meal was delicious -what Gabe found sad, because he wouldn’t be able to say a single bad thing about it-, and the dessert was all fat and sugar as he liked it.

Then came the moment to dance.

Dean led a laughing Cas on the dance floor, starting a hypnotizing waltz - they looked way better than the actual married couple of the day. Of course, Sam didn’t move from his seat, just saying a quick and angry ‘no’ to Gabriel after he offered to go too.

Fair enough.

Gabriel stood up from his seat and started to walkamongst all the fancy folks.

"I thought you and this… giant boy were together. Was I wrong ?" asked someone behind Gabriel with an unusual accent.

"I thought too. I guess we were both wrong," Gabriel replied, discovering that the guy who just talked to him was the unknown dude at their table. He wore a black tux that suited him perfectly, and Gabe’s head got dizzy seeing him this close.

"What a shame," said the guy with a smirk. "I’m Crowley, I suppose you are Gabriel Novak," he said, shaking quickly Gabe’s hand as a reflex. "Would you allow me to ask you to dance ?"

Gabriel first thought he had heard wrong, but the inviting hand Crowley gave him was tempting, and he held it a second after. They started to dance slowly like the other couples.

"So…" started Gabriel, "I guess you work with my brother or father ?"

"No," answered Crowley with a small laugh. "In fact my presence here is only due to the fact that I’m still resisting. They hope this reception will help me make a decision about that."

"And what have you decided so far ?" asked Gabriel.

"Well… First : you’re the first person who really paid attention to me since the very beginning of all this… I don’t even know how to call this ‘wedding’ ; and second : now that there’s an alliance between the Novaks and the Romans, I will definitely fight harder so they won’t get a single stock in my business. Between me and this… Dick, it’s personal."

The two of them kept on dancing slowly, and soon Gabriel’s head was resting against Crowley’s shoulder, and everything felt good - or was it the alcohol speaking ?

_Who kicked a hole in the sky so the heavens would cry over me?_

_Who stole the soul from the sun in a world come undone at the seams?_

Sam didn’t get his eyes away from Gabriel the whole time. His stubbornness had pushed him to ignore the Novak all day long. He didn’t want to get used and thrown away once more. And apparently, he was right. Gabe was already wandering around for another toy.

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

The guy that sat at their table talked to Gabriel and now they were dancing slowly one against the other, close, too close.

_I hope the weather is calm as you sail up your heavenly stream_

_Suspended clear in the sky are the words that we sing in our dreams_

Gabriel was now resting his head on this guy’s shoulder. If he wanted to get laid and then thrown away, fair enough. But Sam wasn't able to handle the view anymore. He stood up.

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

Sam headed to his -their- room. Hopefully he was the one in charge of the key. He kicked the door wide open and started to pack his little stuff. He looked down on himself and his tux. He put it off and put on clothes of his own. He didn’t want anything from Gabriel on him.

_Come on baby blue_

_Shake up your tired eyes_

_The world is waiting for you_

_May all your dreaming fill the empty sky_

"Gabriel, may I talk to you ?" asked Castiel, pulling his brother away of Crowley’s arms.

"What, Cas ? What’s wrong this time ? Everybody in this fucking family wants me to have someone ! This guy is rich and it will even please father ‘cause I may find a way so he will sell him some stocks, so what’s wrong ?!" yelled Gabriel once they were out of the main room, far away from the guests. 

"Since when do you care about what father wants ? And since when are you this stupid ?" said Cas, loosing his calm.

"What the fuck do you mean, Cas ?" Gabriel was breathless, outraged.

"What I mean is that he wanted to start something with you but you were too stupid to realize that because you only think about yourself !" 

_But if it makes you happy_

_Keep on clapping_

_Just remember I'll be by your side_

_And if you don't let go, it's gonna pass you by_

Gabriel was now running through the corridors, reaching his -their ?- room in just a few second, but it was already empty, all Sam’s belongings gone. He ran backwards, and only had time to see Sam walking through the hall to go outside.

"Wait !" he yelled.

_Who kicked a hole in the sky so the heavens would cry over me?_

_Who stole the soul from the sun in a world come undone at the seams?_

Sam heard Gabriel’s voice but he didn’t turn his head nor slow down. He kept walking, his cab already waiting for him.

"Sam, please wait !" yelled Gabriel once more, running after Sam in the cold of the night.

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

"Sam ! Please Sam I beg you, please ! I…" the sound of the slammed door cut Gabriel’s sentence off.

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

_Let there be love_

The car drove Sam away from Gabriel, breathless, his chest aching, his head spinning.

 

*** 

 

Gabriel left the second after Sam’s leaving. He bumped into Cas in the hall.

"I got some work in France, I’ll text you," said Gabe, leaving no time to his brother to argue.

Gabriel didn’t sleep during the entire trip. He forced himself to smile whenever he had to interact with a human being, and was glad when he finally got back to his home/villa/too big mansion.

"Home sweet home…" breathed out Gabe as he let his bags fall down, knowing that the maid would take care of them. 

He then spend days in his office, sinking himself willingly in his work, resting only when he wasn’t able to see a thing anymore and eating only when he felt too weak to do a simple gesture.

At a time, his personal phone rang, the one he threw away the second he came back home.

"Gabriel ?" Cas’ tone revealed how much he was worried.

"I’m alive, can I get back to work now ?" And before Cas could answer Gabriel threw the phone against a wall, breaking it definitely. His brother’s voice had awaken memories that he had methodically buried far away in his brain during his trip back home. Now he felt the castle of glass breaking and his headache got worst.

"Fuck it !" He screamed all around the house until he couldn’t hear his own voice. Work wasn’t enough anymore for him to block his thoughts. He ran to the entrance to take a leather jacket and went to his garage, took one of his most eyes-catching car and drove straight to the first night club he found. He grabbed some drinks and it didn’t take long before girls and boys got closer to him. 

All he had to do was to take the hand of one of his many pretenders. 

 

***

 

"What do you mean ‘no party’ ??" Sam had to pull the phone away from his ear as his brother was yelling on the other side.

"What I mean," tried to explain Sam with as many calm as possible, "is that I don’t need to get drunk and to feel dirty tomorrow morning just because a paper certified that I listened in class."

Dean was now as quiet as a corpse and Sam was actually concerned about his brother’s mental health.

"Dean are you sure you’re alright ?" 

"And you, Sammy ?"

Sam’s happiness crashed down on the floor.

"Yes, of course ! I mean… I just graduated. Yeah, everything’s alright for me…"

Dean remained silent a few second, doing his best to not yell at his brother what he knew was wrong.

"Ok Sam, no party, but at least come have a drink at home, I’ve been keeping a bottle of champagne in the fridge for a while now, it’s time to drink it," proposed Dean.

It was Sam’s turn to be quiet, considering the offer. "Ok, I’ll be there by 6."

They quickly said goodbye, and Sam got back to his gloom, keeping an eye on his watch even if it was only noon.

"Sam, congratulations !" said Cas, opening the door.

The bottle of champagne didn’t last long with the three thirsty boys, and quickly the table was covered with bottles of -too- many sort of alcohols.

"Shit…" mumbled Sam, his head in his arms, "I really can’t drive home in this state."

"Our couch’s all yours, Sammy," laughed Dean, his arm resting on Castiel’s shoulders. 

"What’s that ?" asked Sam as he picked up a colorful paper on an edge of the table.

"It’s a birth announcement from my brother Micheal," answered Cas.

"Wait…" Sam froze. It’s been 9 months ? Nine months since the wedding ? ‘Cause the bride definitely wasn’t pregnant at this time.

"If you call that a wedding," replied Dean, and Sam suddenly realized he spoke out loud. 

"Nine months…" whispered Sam as a lot of memories came straight back to his head.

"I think that the reason why you didn’t realize that it’s been nine months since the wedding is because you did your best to sink yourself in your work so you forgot about Gabriel and the mess you’ve both made," declared Cas with a confident psychologist’s tone.

"What are you talking about ?" said Sam, not knowing how to react, his brain messing around because of the alcohol.

"My brother was clearly attracted to you, reason why he came back here. He wouldn’t have come to the wedding if it hadn’t been an excuse to see you."

"But…" Sam was lost. "An this… This… random guy…"

"The Scottish guy ?" asked Dean in disbelief. "Do you remember how you behaved all day long ? If I was him I would have think you didn’t give a shit of me either. He was just a way to forget."

"Wait… Are you saying that _I_ was the one to fuck it up ? He is the one who screwed me and threw me away the day after !"

"I’m not defending him, Sam," said Dean with a softer tone, "and I would already have smashed his damn ass if he wasn’t Cas’ brother, but he came back for you and _you_ threw him away."

It was definitely too much for Sam who went straight to the couch and passed out.

 

***

 

_Ground control to Major Tom_

_Ground control to Major Tom_

"Dammit…" Gabriel had a serious hangover and the walk to his phone was painful and way too long. 

"Shit." On his way to the kitchen counter where is phone was were laying two brunette twins. He did his best to not wake them up and went outside to answer.

"Castiel, it’s been a while !" Gabe didn’t know if he was trying to convince Cas or himself of his well being.

"Gabriel, are you drunk ?" Gabriel couldn’t guess if the tone was concerned or accusing.

"No, actually I’m facing a big bitch of a hangover," answered Gabe with a small laugh.

"Gabriel, please, be honest with me. How are you ?"

 _He knew_ , Gabe thought. And yes, Castiel had made some researches -a private detective, but he will never admit it- to have informations on his brother’s state, and what he learned scandalized him. It’s been months now that Gabriel changed of bed partner every night, got himself drunk everyday, and he was seriously destroying the fortune he had built. 

"I’m alive, Cas. As far as I’m concerned it’s all I need," replied simply Gabriel.

"It’s not what I call a life, Gabriel. You’re destroying yourself."

"It’s not like I’ve been the one to destroy myself in the first place," said Gabe, bitter. He heard Castiel sighing.

"Is it true that you threw him after you two laid together ?" asked Castiel with a very serious tone.

"What are you talking about ?" said Gabriel, thinking seriously about breaking this other phone. Wait… "And how did you have this number anyway ? I changed two weeks ago !"

"I have my sources," replied Cas with a guilty tone, "and don’t complain : you are the one who forced me doing this. Digging into your privacy isn’t my favorite activity but as long as you can’t act like an adult I have to be the one in charge."

"I don’t wanna talk about Sam," whispered Gabriel, not having the strength to argue.

"So you threw him away, right ?"

"I didn’t…" started Gabe, " I mean… I panicked, ok ? It was great and everything but I didn’t want to…"

"To be the one thrown away ?" asked Castiel softly. "Gabriel… I understand that after what your ex had done to you you have trust issues, but you can’t spend your life alone only because of one asshole who broke your heart back in college. Don’t you think so ?"

"Castiel… You don’t get it. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. Remember how he was at the wedding ?"

"Speaking of that…" started Castiel, but his brother cut him off.

"I fucked up because I’m fucking selfish and all. I get it. I’m not trying again. I can’t afford that. I’d rather live this life." Gabriel then hung up.

"Who was that ?" said the brunette twins, getting closer to him.

"No one," lied Gabriel. "Thanks for the night. It was… Great. Really. You’ll find your others clothes in the bathroom. Call Anthony When you’ll finish, he’ll drive you back home." Gabriel then fled this freaking awkward situation. He usually wasn’t there when his night partner woke up, leaving the task to Anthony of dealing with them. 

He fled to his office where he started working -again-, having some contract to examine. However he couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he had with his brother. And he definitely couldn’t get Sam Winchester out of his head. But it was to late, now, Gabriel thought. He had his chance and he messed with it. There was definitely only one thing with what he was skilled, and that was trade.

"Woups…" laughed Gabriel when he then saw how he had dilapidated his money account.

 

***

 

A few weeks after their very first true conversation since the wedding, Gabriel decided to take his life back together. Castiel was happy to know that his brother was doing great once again -he stopped paying a private detective to get some news-, and even if he wouldn’t ever admit that Gabriel was glad to have someone to talk to about everything and anything.

"It’s not a freaking hotel here, you know that, right ?" said Gabriel laughing.

"Please, Gabe," begged Castiel on the other side of the line, "my friend really need somewhere to sleep and I know that he can’t afford an actual hotel."

"What did you say he had to come in France for ?"

"For a congress," answered Castiel. "If it’s really not ok for you, fair enough, but…"

"Ok, Cas," gave up Gabriel. "When did you say he’ll come ?"

"Tomorrow night," said Cas, an obvious smile in his voice. "Thank you very much, Gabriel.

"It’s just a room, Cas," laughed Gabe. "Anyway, how are you doing ? And how’s Dean ?"

"I got hired in the editing house I talked to you about, and Dean, well…"

"Well… what ?" asked Gabriel, curious.

"He asked my hand. Few days ago," said Castiel, clearly doing his best to not jump all around the place, "and I said yes."

"CASTIEL NOVAK," yelled Gabriel, not giving a damn about the look the waitress gave him, "why on earth didn’t you tell me earlier ??"

"You are the one who insisted about me calling only once a week cause ‘you can’t tolerate over-protective brother."

"Have you already decided on the date ?" 

"Not yet. I think I still haven’t really realized yet," said Cas with a small laugh. "Anyway, I’m sorry but I got to go. It’s already midnight here and I don’t want to be late for tomorrow morning. Bye, Gabe !"

"Good night, Cas !"

The two hung up. Gabriel got back to his too-big-for-himself-but-he-will-eat-it-anyway lasagna plate. For the first time in months he was back to his favorite Italian restaurant. The last time he came there was with Cas and the Winchester brothers. 

Time could heal injuries after all. 

 

***

 

_"Knock Knock Knock !"_

Gabriel was watching _Sherlock_ when he heard the knocks on his door. Cas’ friend, surely. He paused the show and headed to the door. Once the door wide opened, he froze.

"I forgive you and I apologize. For everything."

Gabriel stood still when Sam Winchester hugged him with despair, as if he was scared that Gabe could disappear at any moment.

"I missed you…" whispered finally Gabriel as he hugged back, pulling Sam closer to him, burying his face in the giant’s neck.

After some long minutes they got away, and Gabriel started to laugh.

"So you’re Cas’ mysterious friend. Is there a real congress at least ?"

"Yep, really real. Lawyer stuff. My boss sent me," answered Sam. His eyes locked on the television. "Are you watching _Sherlock_ ?"

"Yup. I’m starting it all over again. I just started episode one, actually. Wanna go back to the beginning ?" asked Gabriel with an uncertain tone, not knowing himself what he was talking about.

"Yes," whispered Sam softly, taking his hand. "Yes, let’s go back to the start."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of Discovery Trip ! I really had a good time writing it.  
> Writing the last chapter I had an idea for a sequel, let me know if you'd want me to write it down !


	4. Sequel : Live Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone ! Discovery Trip is getting a sequel after all ! You can thank @just-another-busy-fangirl (on Tumblr) for it and her Give Me More Challenge ! I hope you’ll enjoy it as you (may) have enjoyed the whole series ! Feed back appreciated as always ;)

Gabriel was known for being crazy. He would invest (too) much of his fortune in new companies just because he had “a feeling”, he would go to every restaurants of a town he was visiting just so he could know where to go next time, he wouldn’t sleep for days watching a tv show just to be sure he wouldn’t forget any part of it, and, of course, he would taste every pastries of a new bakery just to know what it was worth…

"Could you please fake some consciousness ?" asked Gabriel, snapping in front of Sam’s face. "It’s been more than ten minutes now that I'm facing your numbness !"

"Sorry Gabe," answered Sam, rubbing his eyes, pulled away from his thoughts. "Guess I'm a bit tired these days…"

"What’s going on Sammish ?" wondered Gabriel, taking Sam’s hands in his. 

"I don’t know," simply replied Sam as he got up, removing his hands from Gabe’s warm touch. "I’m going to sleep, I have some… big stuff to do tomorrow." And without allowing Gabriel a second to reply, he left the living room.

It had been a while then since Gabriel and Sam got back together, and they were now living together at Gabriel’s house in Brest, France. It was big enough for the two of them and the sight over Saint Anne’s beach was beautiful. They were happy at first, but lately something had been on Sam’s mind. He couldn’t pretend that he didn’t notice the recent change in Gabriel’s behavior. He didn’t like being the jealous kind but he couldn’t think of anything else. Sure, Gabriel was awesome. He was a genius, he was nice, his parties were amazing… Wouldn’t anyone like Gabe get tired of a rigorous guy like he was? Sam wasn’t the last to get to the dance floor but he was far from his lover’s partying skills. Did Gabriel ever find him boring ? Gabriel and him hadn’t taken time to be just the two of them for ages. Sam couldn’t even remember the last time they cuddled in front of a TV show like they used to. He knew Gabe noticed it. But what could he do ?

Having a straight talk with Gabriel would have probably been the best decision Sam could have possibly made, but this obvious solution wasn’t on his mind. 

"I don’t understand, Cassie." Gabriel had called his brother right after Sam had left the room. "He’s all cold lately. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong… I’m starting to fear that he’s about to leave me."

"Gabriel, keep calm," immediately interrupted Castiel. "Do you know if something went wrong at his job ?"

"I don’t know Cas. He stopped talking to me. We were just lying in the living room, I was talking to him and he was just… elsewhere. I don’t know what to do."

As Castiel tried to reassured him, Gabriel went out on the balcony. Here he could breath the fresh air of the sea. It was the only thing easing his sore mind lately. "I don’t know, Cassie. I guess I just can’t understand him anymore…"

This was the only thing Sam heard from the conversation as he just passed by to have a glass of water. He froze hearing those last words, feeling more confused than ever. Were they _tha_ t broken ? Apparently. He turned and fled to the bedroom, forgetting all about water. When Gabe came in, he faked sleeping so he wouldn’t have to face him.

Sam couldn’t sleep that night. He didn’t move when Gabe’s alarm went on and he waited for the man who shared his life to leave the house before moving an inch. Once he was up he couldn’t push himself to get ready for work. He stood there, lost in his thoughts. What was happening to his life ?

 

_It’s a god-awful small affair_

_To the girl with the mousy hair_

_But her Mommy is yelling no_

_And her Daddy has told her to go_

 

Sam looked at his phone rigging on the night stand. 

 

_But her friend is nowhere to be seen_

_Now she walks through her sunken dreams_

_To the seat with the clearest view_

_And she’s hooked to the silver screen_

 

He didn’t make the slightest movement. He didn’t even turn his head to see who was calling. He was too tired for that.

 

_But the film is a saddening bore_

_For she’s lived it ten times or more_

_She could spilt in the eyes of fools_

_As they ask her to focus on…_

 

He finally picked up his phone, and had to push it as far from his ear as possible as his coworker screamed on the other side.

"Winchester where the _hell_ are you ?"

"Charlie, is your secret plan to make me deaf ?" asked Sam, not even feigning a smily tone.

"No kidding boy, the boss is wondering where you are and he’s getting angry !" 

"On my way," said Sam before he hung up the phone.

Sam was working in a book-store downtown. He was in charge of the international section with an energetic red head girl always smiling, Charlie. It was quite different from what he used to study, but he liked change. The place was nice and near an amazing burger restaurant. What else could he want ?

"Here you are at last !" exclaimed Charlie seeing him. "I’ve been waiting for an hour ! What’s going on ?" she asked, worried.

"Nothing important," mumbled Sam as he put on his employee badge. 

"You really gotta wake up, Sam !" insisted Charlie, a worried look on her face. "At noon I’ll take you somewhere to eat and you’ll tell me all of it." And before Sam could say anything the red head girl vanished among the many bookshelves.

Sam liked Charlie. She was a true friend to him. She was always there when you needed her and she would never ask you anything in return. They met a few months ago when Sam had been chosen for the job. He would never admit it but he was relieved to have a native English speaker by his side. Sure, he learned French, but he was far from being an expert. 

"M. Winchester, vous voilà enfin !"

And here was his boss noticing him…

"M. Cadieux, bonjour," started Sam, avoiding eye contact, his accent unsure as usual, "comment allez-vous ?"

"C’est la troisième fois ce mois-ci que vous arrivez en retard, M. Winchester. Je pourrai être beaucoup moins sympathique à la quatrième." He then left, leaving a distraught Sam behind him. Sam knew it was the third time this month that he arrived late at work, but hearing his boss threatening him in case of a fourth iteration… He truly didn’t need it. 

Working at the bookstore was far from boring. Sam had to take care of the clients all day long - and God some of them were talking really fast, it was almost impossible to understand -, he had to make sure that all the bookshelves were full, sometimes he had to help with the checkout… This helped him forget about what was waiting for him at home. Lately it was the only thing easing his troubled mind.

"Nooooooon !!!!!" yelled a happier than ever Charlie. She didn’t leave Sam time to breath :  she pulled off his employee badge and dragged him to the Roadside - their favorite restaurant in the area. Once they both had a big beautiful mouth-wetting burger in front of them she asked about the forbidden topic.

"What’s going on, Sam ?"

"It’s not important…" he replied, knowing that it wouldn’t be enough for his friend but hoping that she wouldnt’t persevere. Obviously, he was wrong.

"Sam Winchester, do you seriously think that I’m gonna let you go with it ? Either you talk to me right now or I’m calling your boyfriend."

"No please don’t do that !"

The pleading tone in Sam’s voice had Charlie frozen on spot.

"Please don’t tell me there’s something bad going on between the two of you," she pleaded. Her smile definitively disappeared seeing Sam’s sad look.

"Tell me everything."

Sam then spent the whole hour they had of free-time to explain the whole situation. How he felt ignored, how him and Gabriel didn’t have any cuddling time in forever, how he loved him but how he wasn’t feeling anything coming from him anymore.

"I know it might seem a bit… Well… Stupid…" finished Sam.

"I stop you right now," interrupted Charlie, a serious look on her face. "It’s not stupid at all. There’s something bad going on between you two and we have to fix it. You truly love each other and it’s not because you had some downs that you must forget everything about the ups. Have you tried to talk to him yet ?"

"No," signed Sam. "I’m afraid he wouldn’t listen to me. In fact… I don’t know how to deal with it."

"Guy, you definitely gotta talk to him," said Charlie gently, patting Sam’s hand.

***

"They really gotta talk to each other," said Dean, lying on the bed, zapping on TV.

The bedroom was only lit by the two lights on their nightstands and the moonlight that was reflecting on the white curtain.

"Sam gotta talk to Gabe," specified Castiel as he walked out of the bathroom, joining him under the blanket.

"How dare you, Cas ? Don’t act like my brother is the one who messed it up. Yours quite guilty too," outraged Dean.

"Darling," sighed Castiel, "I didn’t mean it that way. What I’m saying is that Gabe tried to talk to him, to have some interactions, but Sam is so disturbed that he didn't even notice !"

"If my brother’s disturbed it’s because yours messed up in the first place," angrily replied Dean.

Cas sighed, turned off the light of his night stand and turned his back to his lover.

"Cas…" said Dean gently, "sorry for what I said. I know Gabriel's suffering too."

Still no sign of life from the other side of the bed. Dean didn’t let it go though.

"You know what it reminds me of ?" he asked, knowing that Castiel was listening to him, "It reminds me of the fights we used to have in the beginning. Of us." Dean stopped until Cas slightly turned his head. "Somehow when I’d realizeI I’d messed up and I wanted to apologize you were still mad at me, so I distanced myself from you so you could breathe some fresh air, but when you finally forgave me and got back to me you thought I was just pulling distance between us, because I couldn’t see if you changed your mind or not…"

Castiel was completely facing Dean as he finished his story, a smile on his lips.

"Yeah, I remember…" he said, softy laughing at the memory.

"And you remember how it always ended ?" laughed Dean.

Castiel laughed as well, and he feigned oblivion. "I’m not sure I remember this part, could you please remind me of it ?"

Dean grinned, turned off his light, the TV, and dove under the blanket.

***

Sam was keeping an eye on his watch. Three more minutes and he would go back home. Just three little…

"Bonjour Monsieur, est-ce que je peux vous demander quelque chose s’il vous plait ?"

And… a customer. Sam hoped it wouldn’t be too long, he didn’t want to leave work late.

"Bien sûr, qu’est-ce que… Qu’est-ce que je peux faire pour vous ?" Sam’s hesitation wasn’t due to his flawed skills but to two blue eyes, light hair and small natural grin.

"Est-ce que vous auriez un intégral de Lovecraft en version originale s’il vous plaît ?" asked the handsome man, and Sam thought he heard a none-french accent.

"Et bien… Je ne crois pas qu'on en ait reçu récemment mais je vais regarder," answered Sam, forgetting everything about running out of here and immediately searching for the desired book.

"You’re American, aren’t you ?" asked the mysterious man with a grin.

"Well… Yes," laughed Sam, "Is it that obvious ?"

"I’m not used to hearing that kind of an accent in this part of the world so, yes, I would describe myself as surprised."

Sam was amazed but he whole man’s demeanor. Something in those bright eyes gave him the need to spend as much time as he could by this man’s side.

In fact, Sam had plenty of occasions to feel this mysterious energy that he felt in the presence of the man. Luc, that was his name, came every day this whole week, spending at least an hour per day talking with Sam about their favorite authors, movies, and quickly the conversation became more personal. 

"Single or taken ?" had asked Luc as when they where having a coffee next to the bookshop during one of Sam’s break. 

Sam’s breath caught in his throat and he might have choked on his coffee. 

"Are you okay Sam ?" asked Luc worriedly, calling out the waiter for a glass of water.

"Yeah, yeah, I’m fine," finally answered Sam. "Sorry, I wasn’t expecting this kind of question."

" _I_ am the one sorry if my question almost killed you," replied Luc half laughing.

"It’s okay really… And I’m taken," said Sam.

"Your tone indicates me that you might be taken but the one who holds your heart might be loosing her/his grip on it," underlined Luc with what might be a little grin.

Sam couldn’t find himself to contradict his -new- friend, and it disturbed him. When was the last time he spend some time he actually remembered with Gabriel ? … Micheal’s divorce was fun but it was eons ago. And the last last time they had sex ? Jesus wasn’t even born. Did he even still feel a part of a couple anymore ?

"Apparently it’s kind of a touchy subject judging on your eyebrows," commented Luc.

"Everything’s fine with my eyebrows," spat out Sam, his mind still lost in his thoughts.

"Your eyebrows are screaming your frustration," laughed Luc. "Tell me, what’s wrong with your partner ?"

"I don’t see him anymore. It’s like he doesn’t want to have me in his life anymore," blurped out Sam, and he regretted it immediately. It might be true but he didn’t seem fair to complain about his personal life to a guy who was a stranger to him a few days ago.

"Why don’t you leave him ?" 

Simple question. A hell to answer. Of course Sam still loved… Well… Did he ? Thinking about Gabe once brought him joy and cheerfulness but nowadays it was all sorrow, sadness and anger. 

"Sam ! What are you doing here ? I’ve been searching for you for ages !" exclaimed Charlie as she entered the cafe, and she froze seeing the two men. "Well, hello… ?" 

"Luc. Luc Alston," said the blue eyed man. "I assume you’re Charlie, Sam talks about you a lot."

Charlie couldn’t find herself to argue, too choked by the view. "Well… Happy to meet you, _I guess_. Sam could you please come the hell back to work ? You’re already late and I can't deal with the autograph session all by myself."

Luc insisted to pay their bill and thanked Sam for spending some time with him way to warmly to Charlie’s opinion.

"What the hell are you doing ?" she yelled on their way back to the book store.

"What are you talking about ?" asked genuinely Sam - maybe deep inside he might be aware of the situation.

"Are you cheating on Gabriel ?"

Sam was definitely not prepare to be ask such direct question.

"Of course not !"

"Then why are you having a date on your free time with some nasty blondy who wants to get to your pants ?!"

Sam - _fake_ \- laughed out loud. "Where are you seeing all of that, Charlie ? Luc is just a friend  that I met at the book store and we were just meeting as _friends_. Why are you talking about me cheating on Gabe ?"

"Because he thinks so."

"What ?…" Sam couldn’t move nor breathe hearing his friend’s words. He felt like he just received a bullet in the heart. "You… you can’t be serious."

"I’m god damn serious, Sam ! Who do you think he calls when he knows you won’t hear him because he needs some social interactions and his boyfriend is not willing to give it to him ?"

Sam’s mind blacked out. This couldn’t be true. "He’s the one who pulled away from me."

"He was having a hard time at work," argued Charlie, "that’s why he’s been more tired for a while, but when he tried to make it up to you just turned your back on him and now I see you hanging on with _another guy_ who stands way to close to you to be just be a friend so yes I may start to think like your _former_ boyfriend."

"Former boyf… Charlie what the hell are you insinuating ? I’m never gonna cheat on Gabriel ! And I would have been glad to give him the intention he needed if only he had talked to me about it !"

Did you try to talk to him ?" said Charlie scowling at him. She dryly laughed seeing Sam wordless. "I’m not gonna tell Gabe what I saw out there. Ditching people is kind of a personal thing to do."

***

"Gabe, I’m home !" said Sam out loud once he passed threshold of the house that night. He couldn’t have helped but feeling nervous all day long after the talk he had with Charlie. He felt like he had been a real dickhead once he had let down his proud. For now he only had one blood-freezing fear. Was it to late ?

"We talk to each other now ?" replied an icy voice across the living room.

"Gabe, I…" In fact, Sam had no idea about what he wanted to tell Gabriel. That he was sorry ? That he loved him ? That he would never cheat on him ? All of it ? He couldn’t think about words strong enough to express his feelings. His throat hurt from all the feels. "I love you. Never doubt it."

"Are you having an affair ?" asked Gabriel with a low voice and red eyes as if he had been crying for hours.

"I told you," softly answered Sam, too afraid to come closer, "I love you and I’ll always will. How could I ever live without you…"

Gabriel collapsed hearing those words but fortunately Sam was strong enough to catch him.

"It’s been weeks," cried Gabriel, "It's been weeks that we didn’t truly talk nor did anything and I tried to make it up to you because I know that I’m the one who messed it up and I was so sorry but when I realized it I thought that it was too late, that you didn’t want me back in your life anymore…" Gabe’s breath caught in his throat and Sam’s smooth strokes on his back couldn’t help with the weeks of painful frustration.

"I’m here, Gabe…" was all that Sam could think about to lull his lover. "I love you so much Gabe, I never wanna get away from you, I love you so much…"

They spent most of the night cuddling, reassuring themselves and making the most of their first couple moment in eons. 

Eventually they both agreed on taking some vacation together.

Eventually Gabe came one night with a kitten in his arm and presented it to Sam as their child.

Eventually Sam made his proposal by a warm summer evening.

Eventually Gabriel said yes.

 

 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the end of the line. I hope you liked this story. I truly enjoyed writing this story and I'm really proud of it.  
> Feedback appreciated as always, see you in another story :)


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